UN rights chief says ‘powder keg’ Gaza could ignite wider war
Al Jazeera
Volker Turk says world must avoid conflagration of conflict, which could have repercussions for region and beyond.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk says the war in Gaza is a “powder keg” that could ignite a wider conflict with serious repercussions for the Middle East and beyond.
In an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Turk said he was deeply concerned that the war – now in its 150th day – had already generated dangerous spillover in neighbouring countries.
“Any spark could lead to a much broader conflagration,” Turk warned. “This would have implications for every country in the Middle East,and many beyond it.”
The UN high commissioner for human rights said it is “imperative to do everything possible to avoid” a wider escalation and specifically cited the military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon, calling them “extremely worrying”.
Since October 8, cross-border exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah as a direct result of the Gaza war have killed dozens of people, displaced tens of thousands and destroyed vital infrastructure.
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